Might Pope Francis resign? Former archbishop points to him as Anti-Christian

The Vatican’s pontiff Francis has been in the hospital for over a week. Notice the following:

Senior Vatican cardinal broaches topic of Pope Francis resigning due to health

February 21, 2025

An an interview given to Italian radio a senior Vatican cardinal has discussed the issue of whether Pope Francis should or might resign due to his health problems that have seen him hospitalised for just over a week.

His predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, in 2013 became the first pope to resign since 1294, at the time citing health problems that arguably were not as serious as Pope Francis’s. The latter has also previously alluded to his belief that if heath problems became serious enough he would consider resigning.

As the pontiff enters his eighth day in hospital today, 21 February, suffering from pneumonia in both lungs – one of which had to be partially removed when he was a young man – Vatican watchers are wondering if that level of seriousness might be getting closer, reports The Times of London.

“I think he could [resign] because he is a person who, from this point of view, is quite decisive in his choices,” Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, a former President of the Pontifical Council for Culture who is regarded as a prominent intellectual in the Roman Curia, said in the radio interview.

Sources close to the Pope have emphasised that he is not in mortal danger and that he is gradually recovering. https://thecatholicherald.com/senior-vatican-cardinal-broaches-topic-of-pope-francis-resigning-due-to-health/

21 February 2025

Ravasi also recalled the pontiff’s 2023 interview marking ten years since he became Pope, in which he said he would step down if he became unable to fulfill his duties due to health problems or an accident. The pontiff noted at the time he had already submitted his pre-signed resignation to Cardinal Bertone, the former Vatican secretary of state. In the interview, Francis said he felt “old” and physically humiliated after being confined to a wheelchair as a result of a knee injury. https://www.rt.com/news/613104-pope-francis-could-resign/

Pope Francis’ given name at birth was Jorge Mario Bergoglio. He indicated after becoming pontiff that he might resign. He might before he dies. We will see.

Some ‘fringe” and other Roman Catholics have long questioned whether or not he was the “legitimate’ pope.

Notice also the following denouncement from Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò (who has basically been defrocked by the Vatican):

February 17, 2025

Bergoglio has gone so far as to invent a new doctrine, imposing as a moral duty “the reception of immigrants,” from whose management he obtains billions in public funding and through which he accredits himself as the main interlocutor of the globalist elite and executor of the woke agenda. He exploits the teaching of Pius XII – decontextualizing and distorting his words – because by quoting a pope not suspected of modernist or conciliar contamination, he hopes to gain the attention and support of those faithful who do not listen to him.

We need to understand Bergoglio’s fraudulent operation: he wants to take the conflict between the immigrationist-woke Deep Church and the Trump administration to the next level, “dogmatizing” the duty to welcome illegal immigrants and thus forcing American Catholics to see Trump as an enemy of the Catholic Church. In short, he is trying, according to his characteristic modus operandi, to turn President Trump into an adversary in order to undermine his support from Catholic voters. …

American Catholics, however, have seen through the fraud! While Bergoglio, in obedience to his globalist masters, hurls anathemas against those who “build walls,” President Trump has announced – among other measures that we welcome with deep satisfaction – the return of the United States to the Geneva Consensus Declaration, which defends the right to life for all, reaffirms the importance of the family, and affirms that there is no international “right” to abortion. …

It is shocking how Bergoglio’s appeals on the “infinite dignity of all” stubbornly exclude defenseless children massacred by abortion, victims of organ harvesting and mutilation for so-called gender transitioning, mothers used as merchandise for surrogate motherhood, young people corrupted by woke perversions, and the masses of minors who fuel the prostitution racket or end up in a Beverly Hills villa to satisfy the execrable depravities of the pedophile elite. …

The very last thing that Bergoglio ever pursues is the defense of the integrity of the faith or the salvation of souls. Nor does he really care about the poor: just look at how many homeless people are camped around the Vatican and under Bernini’s colonnade; back in the era of COVID, in order to get a meal they had to show that they had received the vaccine.

The ugly bronze boat erected in Saint Peter’s Square is a monument to Bergoglio’s hypocrisy. For him, the poor and the marginalized are a mere tool to “crossbreed” both the social and ecclesial fabric – that is, to dissolve it – and thus obtain the definitive cancellation of what remains of Christian society after decades of secularization.

Bergoglio “thinks big” – he wants to create the premises for the new religion of humanity, deluding himself that he can preside over it and thus carve out a role for himself in the New World Order. As a prophet of syncretistic, ecological, and inclusive globalism, Bergoglio even made an appearance at the Sanremo Festival to launch John Lennon’s song Imagine, the Masonic manifesto of the New Order. …

Bergoglio’s attitude toward persecuted Christians is quite different: with the secret agreement made with the communist regime of Beijing, he has handed over Chinese Catholics to be slaughtered, and he remains silent on the violations of their fundamental human rights.

In Bergoglio’s dystopian vision – anti-human, anti-Christian and antichristic – our nations are lands set apart for Mohammedan conquest: this is the purpose of conciliar ecumenism. According to the Koran, anywhere the call of the muezzìn resounds and where the “prayer carpet” is spread is Islamic territory. The connivance of the Bergoglian clergy, who host imams in our churches and allow such prayer in the parvises of our cathedrals, constitutes a betrayal of Christ and of the faithful. …

Bergoglio’s globalist dystopia aims at the erasure of national and ethnic identities, especially where they are founded on Christian civilization, and instead promotes anything linked to pagan and idolatrous beliefs. The cancellation of all differences and the external homologation of cultures ought to be considered by the Catholic Church as a disaster, while the Bergoglian church is recklessly promoting it. (Abp. Vigano asks Trump’s CIA director to ‘investigate the Deep State plan to eliminate Benedict XVI.’ LifeSiteNews, February 17, 2025. https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/abp-vigano-asks-trumps-cia-director-to-investigate-the-deep-state-plan-to-eliminate-benedict-xvi/?utm_source=featured-news&utm_campaign=usa)

Last December, Lifesite News posted the following translation from an interview with Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò conducted by Andrea Caldart:

Archbishop Viganò: The Catholic Church has nothing to do with the Bergoglian church

Andrea Caldart: Bergoglio’s Church seems to be in turmoil: many faithful continue to watch this Pope excommunicating priests and others because they produce evidence that Pope Benedict XVI has never actually renounced the Petrine “munus.” Archbishop Viganò, in which Church are we living?

Carlo Maria Viganò: Bergoglio’s “church” is not only in turmoil: it is in full delirium. If this can happen, it is precisely because it is no longer the Catholic Church, but her scandalous counterfeit; and because in the place of the Pope on the Throne of Peter sits a heretical and usurper tyrant. …

Those who think that the crisis began with this “pontificate” are mistaken: the desire to tamper with the Roman Papacy dates back to the Second Vatican Council, was continued with John Paul II’s encyclical Ut unum sint, was confirmed by the anomaly of Benedict XVI’s Resignation and was then embraced by Bergoglio – in full coherence with his predecessors – with the Study Document The Bishop of Rome issued by the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity. Redefining the Papacy “in an ecumenical and synodal mold” is the typical modus operandi of heretics to conceal behind vague formulas a deliberately subversive action, contrary to the Faith and the constant practice of the Roman Catholic Church.

We must take note of the coup d’état that was hatched by the deep church and that brought to power, up to the very top of the Catholic hierarchy, the fifth columns of the enemy, that is, of the Masonic anti-church, of the Synagogue of Satan. …

Andrea Caldart: How do you evaluate the current state of the Catholic Church with respect to traditional values and modernity?

Carlo Maria Viganò: The Catholic Church has nothing to do with the Bergoglian church, which is “conciliar,” “synodal,” and “ecumenical,” but certainly not Catholic. … The assertion that the Church must be democratic and that the laity can or should participate in its government is obviously a colossal lie: not only because this contradicts the monarchical structure that Our Lord gave Her …

Andrea Caldart: A question arises: where does the Catholic Church “subsist” today? How can the Catholic Church exist without a visible head?

{Carlo Maria Viganò: } The Catholic Church certainly does not exist in the Bergoglian church: certainly not in the conventicle of cardinals and bishops who support the tyrant out of fear, timidity, self-interest, blackmail, or acquiescence. …

Carlo Maria Viganò: The task of a Bishop, that is, of a Successor of the Apostles, is summed up by Saint Paul (2 Tim 4:1-5): I beseech you, before God and Christ Jesus, who must judge the living and the dead, by his appearance and his kingdom: preach the word, insist on every favorable and unfavorable occasion, convince, rebuke, exhort with all kinds of teaching and patience. For the time will come when they will no longer endure sound doctrine, but, having itching ears, they will seek teachers in great numbers according to their own desires, and they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn to fables. But be vigilant in all things, endure suffering, carry out the task of evangelist, faithfully fulfill your ministry. 12/23/24 https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/archbishop-vigano-the-catholic-church-has-nothing-to-do-with-the-bergoglian-church/

Here is a brief summary of points where I believe that Carlo Maria Viganò was correct:

Pope Francis is not faithful to the beliefs of the original catholic church.
The Roman Catholic Church is a “scandalous counterfeit.”
The problems in it began long before Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope Francis.
There is a “deep church” associated with the Church of Rome with Masonic ties.
Yes, the “Synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9, 3:9) is an applicable title for the Roman Catholic Church (see also What is the Synagogue of Satan?).
The true catholic church “has nothing to do with the Bergoglian church.”
The true catholic church is not ecumenical.
The true catholic church is not democratic.
The true catholic church has hierarchical governance (see also The Bible, Peter, Paul, John, Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, Roderick C. Meredith, and Bob Thiel on Church Government).
The true catholic church “certainly does not exist in the Bergoglian church.”
The true catholic church does not exist “in the conventicle of cardinals.”
The truly faithful bishops/overseers/ministers have apostolic succession (see also Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession?).
The Church of Rome long ago broke away with being faithful to many true Christian doctrines (see also Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession?).
Francis’ position is anti-Christian and is helping set the stage for the final Antichrist.
That faithful leaders are to “contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3), which is what he implied with citing 2 Timothy 4:1-5.

As far as Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò goes, he used to hold a high position within the Church of Rome, but he was excommunicated last Summer (see Vatican excommunicates Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò who responds with a warning about Freemasonsry and the WEF’s influence on the Vatican)–though some say he excommunicated himself.

The Vatican currently seems to believe that Carlo Maria Viganò leads a break-away sect that is not part of them.

That said, neither the Church of Rome nor the group associated with Carlo Maria Viganò holds to the beliefs of the original catholic church.

The majority in the Church of Rome turned against the faithful beliefs in the second century A.D. For documented details, see the free online book: Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church.

All who claim to be Christian are “to contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).

Among other doctrines, that original faith did NOT:

1) Include a round Eucharistic host. For details, check out the articles: Marcus, the Marcosians, & Mithraism: Developers of the Greco-Roman Eucharist? and Early Christianity and the Eucharist?

2) Include idolatry. For details, check out the article: What Did the Early Church Teach About Idols and Icons?

3) Observe Passover more than once per year. The repeated Eucharist is supposed to be related to Jesus’ and Passover. See also: Passover and the Early Church and Early Christianity and the Eucharist?

4) Teach purgatory or plenary indulgences. or details, check out the article: Did the Early Church Teach Purgatory?

5) Teach that tradition was above or equal to scripture. For details, check out the article: Tradition and Scripture: From the Bible and Church Writings

Although Greco-Roman Catholics claim to have preserved the original Christian faith, their scholars realize that they changed it. That is documented in the book Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church.

We also put out related sermons.

Here are a list of all the sermons directly tied to the Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church book:

This book and the available sermons are intended to help us to instruct many and answer many who have a professing Christian background:

33 And those of the people who understand shall instruct many; (Daniel 11:33, NKJV)

15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. (1 Peter 3:15-16, KJV)

This information is important for you to know, presuming you wish to be one who understands and obeys God’s word.

If you missed any of those sermons, or wish to re-watch any, hopefully the list will make that easier for you.

Many with a Worldwide Church of God, or other Church of God background, may be surprised to learn who the true Christian leaders said the original catholic church was.

In the 20th century, the old Radio and Worldwide Church of God taught (bolding mine):

These words from the Syriac version of … {The Epistle to the Magnesians} Ignatius clearly demonstrate the importance of the Sabbath in the early Catholic churches. (Hoeh H. Why Do the Churches Observe SUNDAY? Good News, April 1957)

Well might Jesus say: “I know . . . where Satan’s seat is . . . where Satan dwelleth.” His “Pergamos” Church knew, too! This was a different kind of era. An age in which the True Church was actively pursued,and had to remain in hiding. … Polycrates had been … part of “the catholic church of God.” The great conspiracy had succeeded-it had stolen the name of Christ, the name of God’s Church. (Lesson 50 – What Became of the Church Jesus Built? 58 Lesson: Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course, 1968, p. 8)

Polycrates came from that area in which Paul spent most of his tin1e -in Asia Minor, near Ephesus. This is also where John spent his last days. Here we have Christiam still remaining true to the faith! (Hoeh H. A True History of the True Church. Radio Church of God, 1959, p. 16)

Eusebius, historian of the early centuries of the Church, speaks of the true Christians observing Passover on the 14th of Nisan, first month of the Sacred Calendar.

“A question of no small importance arose at that time. For the parishes of all Asia, as from an older tradition, held that the fourteenth day of the moon, on which day the Jews were commanded to sacrifice the lamb, should be observed as the feast of the Saviour’s passover … the bishops of Asia, led by Polycrates, decided to hold to the old custom handed down to them. He himself, in a letter which he addressed to Victor and the church of Rome, set forth in the following words the tradition which had come down to him:

“‘We observe the exact day; neither adding, nor taking away. For in Asia also great lights have fallen asleep, which shall rise again on the day of the Lord’s coming, when he shall come with glory from heaven, and shall seek out all the saints. Among these are Philip, one of the twelve apostles … and, moreover, John, who was both a witness and a teacher, who reclined upon the bosom of the Lord … and Polycarp in Smyrna, who was a bishop and martyr; and Thraseas, bishop and martyr from Eumenia … the bishop and martyr Sagaris … the blessed Papirius, or Melito ….All these observed the fourteenth day of the passover according to the Gospel, deviating in no respect, but following the rule of faith’ ” (Ecclesiastical History, book V, chapters XXIII and XXIV). (Armstrong HW. The Plain Truth About Easter. WCG booklet, 1973)

They called themselves the Apostolic Catholic church, but … nicknamed Paulicians by their enemies … (Paulicians. The Encyclopaedia Britannica: Mun to Pay. 1911, p. 961; Blackwell D. A HANDBOOK OF CHURCH HISTORY: A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Ambassador College Graduate School of Theology. April 1973, p.29)

Yes, the true Church of God was the original catholic church–the first three references to the “catholic church” in the ancient literature were ALL directed at the true Church of God (detailed quotes are in the free online book Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church). As far as later designations go, those once part of the old Worldwide Church of God may be interested in learning that Dibar Apartian, a late Worldwide Church of God (WCG) evangelist, confirmed with me and my family in Evian, France, at the Feast of Tabernacles in 2008, that we were all part of the original catholic church.

The original “catholic church of God” was NOT the Roman Catholic church.

If you are interested in church history and what happened with the original church, you may also wish to read the book, which is available free online at the following link: Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church.

The Continuing Church of God is NOT Greco-Roman Catholic, but neither is it Protestant. For some of the reasons why we are NOT Protestant, check out the free online book, Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church. Did the original “catholic church” have doctrines held by the Continuing Church of God? Did Church of God leaders uses the term “catholic church” to ever describe the church they were part of? Here are links to related sermons: Original Catholic Church of God?, Original Catholic Doctrine: Creed, Liturgy, Baptism, Passover, What Type of Catholic was Polycarp of Smyrna?, Tradition, Holy Days, Salvation, Dress, & Celibacy, Early Heresies and Heretics, Doctrines: 3 Days, Abortion, Ecumenism, Meats, Tithes, Crosses, Destiny, and more, Saturday or Sunday?, The Godhead, Apostolic Laying on of Hands Succession, Church in the Wilderness Apostolic Succession List, Holy Mother Church and Heresies, and Lying Wonders and Original Beliefs.
Who Gave the World the Bible? The Canon: Why do we have the books we now do in the Bible? Is the Bible complete? Are there lost gospels? What about the Apocrypha? Is the Septuagint better than the Masoretic text? What about the Textus Receptus vs. Nestle Alland? Was the New Testament written in Greek, Aramaic, or Hebrew? Which translations are based upon the best ancient text? Did the true Church of God have the canon from the beginning? Here are links to related sermons: Let’s Talk About the Bible, The Books of the Old Testament, The Septuagint and its Apocrypha, Masoretic Text of the Old Testament, and Lost Books of the Bible, and Let’s Talk About the New Testament, The New Testament Canon From the Beginning, English Versions of the Bible and How Did We Get Them?, What was the Original Language of the New Testament?, Original Order of the Books of the Bible, and Who Gave the World the Bible? Who Had the Chain of Custody?
Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism The CCOG is NOT Protestant. This free online book explains how the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants. Several sermons related to the free book are also available: Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History; The First Protestant, God’s Command, Grace, & Character; The New Testament, Martin Luther, and the Canon; Eucharist, Passover, and Easter; Views of Jews, Lost Tribes, Warfare, & Baptism; Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday; Church Services, Sunday, Heaven, and God’s Plan ; Seventh Day Baptists/Adventists/Messianics: Protestant or COG?; Millennial Kingdom of God and God’s Plan of Salvation; Crosses, Trees, Tithes, and Unclean Meats; The Godhead and the Trinity; Fleeing or Rapture?; and Ecumenism, Rome, and CCOG Differences.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE? Here is a link in the French language: Où est la vraie Église Chrétienne aujourd’hui?
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.
CCOG.ORG Continuing Church of God The group striving to be most faithful amongst all real Christian groups to the word of God. There are links to literature is about 160 different languages there.